Step 9: Readable Objects

What This Version Does

Info plaques appear at the petting zoo and aviary with detailed animal facts. A warning sign near the nocturnal exhibit cautions about flash photography. A zoo brochure at the entrance can be picked up and read anywhere.

What's New (Compared to V8)

V8 introduced light and dark. V9 adds ReadableTrait — entities with text the player can read, separate from their physical description.

What You'll Learn

ReadableTrait

ReadableTrait gives an entity text that the read action displays:

plaque.add(new ReadableTrait({
  text: 'PYGMY GOATS — These Nigerian Dwarf goats are gentle...',
}));

Read vs Examine

This is the key distinction:

A brass plaque looks like "a brass plaque mounted on a wooden post." But it says "PYGMY GOATS — These Nigerian Dwarf goats are gentle, curious, and always hungry."

Not everything readable needs to look the same. A brochure looks like a glossy pamphlet but reads as a guide to the zoo.

Readable + Scenery = Info Plaques

Plaques are scenery (can't take them) that you can read:

plaque.add(new IdentityTrait({ description: 'A brass plaque...' }));
plaque.add(new ReadableTrait({ text: 'PYGMY GOATS...' }));
plaque.add(new SceneryTrait());  // Can't take it

Readable + Portable = Brochures, Letters, Books

Portable readable items can be taken and read anywhere:

brochure.add(new IdentityTrait({ description: 'A glossy tri-fold brochure.' }));
brochure.add(new ReadableTrait({ text: 'WILLOWBROOK FAMILY ZOO — Your Guide...' }));
// No SceneryTrait — player can take it

When to Use ReadableTrait vs Just a Long Description

Use ReadableTrait when the object has distinct written content — signs, books, letters, labels, inscriptions.

Use IdentityTrait.description alone when the object is just a physical thing to look at — a rock, a fence, a tree.

The test: would a real person say "I want to read this"? If yes, use ReadableTrait.

Commands to Try

> take brochure          Pick up the brochure
> read brochure          Read the zoo guide
> examine brochure       See the physical brochure
> south; east            Go to Petting Zoo
> read plaque            Read about the animals
> examine plaque         See the plaque itself

The Code

See src/v09.ts for the complete, commented source.

Key Takeaway

ReadableTrait separates what an object says from what it looks like. examine shows the description; read shows the text. Use ReadableTrait for anything with written content.